Give Refugees a Hand Up This Winter

With no foreseeable end to the cost of living crisis and the increased rate of illness and vulnerability during these cold months, the ASRC is deeply concerned about its community this season.

As we are all too familiar, families who have already been deeply affected by the challenges of no work rights or income face additional hardships during winter.

People who came here searching for safety and freedom, for themselves and their families, are constantly being denied basic human needs such as food and healthcare, forcing them to continue to endure uncertainty and adversity.

How can we offer a hand-up to those who need it this winter?

The ASRC is launching its Winter Appeal to help support refugees and people seeking asylum through the toughest months.

We are seeing a growing number of our community becoming overwhelmed by their situation, experiencing deterioration in their mental health and facing chronic illness. Some are at imminent risk of homelessness and others live with the uncertainty of where their next meal is going to come from.

Right now between 120 to 150 people contact ASRC each day, with at least two thirds of people expressing housing insecurity concerns.

For those with families, food and health insecurity is worsened by the ever-rising cost of utilities and food, people are facing challenges that are pushing them to breaking point.

Still, the incredible resilience we see in people and young adults like nineteen-year-old Aaliyah leading their families by working to provide the basics, and advocating for change.

“I have to look after my family, but one day I hope to become a psychologist so I can help people just like my mum who struggle with mental health and depression.”
– Aaliyah

Young refugees like Aaliyah – who have lived in Australia most of their lives, been educated here and barely remember their birth country – just want a chance to realise their potential and call Australia home for good.

For these young adults and their families, you can choose to give them a hand up until they see their rights acknowledged and are able to rebuild their own lives.

Choose to support resilience, like Aaliyah has and give people seeking safety the hand up they urgently need this winter.

People seeking asylum want to work, study and rebuild their lives in safety. But our government policies continue to deprive many people seeking asylum of their rights.

Many families continue to live with the impacts of short-term bridging visas which deny them the right to work, study or access Medicare, putting them in extreme disadvantage to survive in the community.

As the days grow colder and darker, the prospect of homelessness, illness and lack of access to nutritious food becomes even more perilous for these families.

It’s for people like them that the ASRC provides the basic necessities to help stabilise their situation and leverage their resilience to craft pathways to rebuild their lives.

Opportunity and hope are two of the things people seeking asylum ask of the ASRC. Our community of compassion has the power to give refugees a hand up, at least until the government assumes its responsibility and provides people with their basic rights.

This winter you can help provide refugees and people seeking asylum a hand up in the form of food, healthcare, counselling and legal aid while they rebuild their lives in the community.

Donate today